Festival Schedule:

July 10, 2024

6:00 pm: Opening Night Reception and Film: Sing Sing

A celebration to launch the official opening of the 50th Newark Black Film Festival, featuring DJ Skeme Richards, followed by a special opening night presentation of Sing Sing.

Sing Sing

Directed by Greg Kwedar (105 min). Not rated

Imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, Divine G finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men in this story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.
The screening will be followed by a conversation with cast from the film.

Tickets: $15 General Admission, $12 Students & NMOA Members, Free for all Festival Pass holders

July 11, 2024

1:00 pm: NBFF Youth Cinema Throwback: The Wiz

Join us for a screening of a classic perfect for all ages.

The Wiz

Directed by Sidney Lumet (134 min). Rated G
When Harlem schoolteacher Dorothy (Diana Ross) tries to save her dog from a storm, she’s miraculously whisked away to an urban fantasy land called Oz.

7:00 pm: NBFF Honors Kasi Lemmons

Join us for a special event honoring acclaimed director Kasi Lemmons at the Newark Black Film Festival. Enjoy a screening of her iconic film Eve’s Bayou and the short film Behold a Lady. Plus, don’t miss the chance to meet and engage with Kasi Lemmons herself during this exclusive evening.

Eve’s Bayou

Directed by Kasi Lemmons (108 min). Rated R
What did little Eve see–and how will it haunt her? Husband, father and womanizer Louis Batiste is the head of an affluent family, but it’s the women who rule this gothic world of secrets, lies, and mystic forces.

Behold a Lady

Directed by Britt Williams (16 min). Not rated
When a studious tomboy gets dumped on the eve of the Latin Quiz Bowl tryouts, she struggles to balance her heartbreak and studies as she transforms her appearance to win back her ex.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors, Kasi Lemmons and Britt Williams.

Tickets: $10 General Admission, $7 Members, Free for all Festival Pass holders

July 12, 2024

1:00 pm: NBFF Youth Cinema Throwback: Ruby Bridges

Join us for a screening of a classic perfect for all ages.

Ruby Bridges

Directed by Euzhan Palcy (96 min). Rated PG
When six-year-old Ruby is chosen to be the first African American to integrate her local elementary school, she is subjected to the true ugliness of racism for the first time.

6:00 pm: Newark Black Film Festival: Songs from the Hole

Join us for a screening of Songs from the Hole, directed by Contessa Gayles.

Songs from the Hole

Directed by Contessa Gayles (106 min). Not rated
At 15, he took a life. Three days later, his brother’s life was taken. An incarcerated musician struggles for healing and peace as he comes of age in this documentary visual album composed behind bars.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director, Contessa Gayles and producer richie reseda.

9:00 pm: Newark Black Film Festival: Toll

Join us for a screening of Toll, directed by Carolina Markowicz. In Portuguese with English subtitles.

Toll

Directed by Carolina Markowicz (102 min). Not rated
Suellen, a toll booth attendant, uses her job to help a gang of thieves steal watches so that she can afford to send her son to a gay conversion workshop.
In Portuguese with English subtitles.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Roger Costa and Tadáskía, who currently has an exhibition at MoMA. Learn more about Tadáskía’s exhibition.

Tickets: $10 General Admission, $7 Members, Free for all Festival Pass holders

July 13, 2024

11:00 am – 1:00 pm: NBFF Panel: Where Creativity Meets Commerce: Small Businesses Working with Film & TV

Discover the wealth of opportunities for filmmakers and businesses in New Jersey’s vibrant film and TV industry. Explore the resources and incentives available from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) and hear from local business owners who have already benefited.

Complimentary food from Cornbread will be provided.

Panelists:

Matt Sestrich, Director – Film Tax Credits, NJEDA
Lynette LaShawn, Fashion Director & Newark business owner
Justis Pitt-Goodson, CEO and Creative Director, BrownMill
David Occhino, Location Manager, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, American Sports Story

Moderator: Desiree Hadley, Director of the Newark Office of Film and TV

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm: NBFF Panel: 50 Years of Black Film

Explore the evolution of Black cinema over the past five decades. Delve into the milestones, influential films, and pivotal moments that have helped shape the landscape of film.

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm: NBFF Live Music in the Lounge

Unwind in the Engelhard Court Lounge’s relaxing atmosphere, featuring live music by talented musicians as part of the festival’s diverse programming.

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm: In the Order of Weapons: 50 Years of Community Film Across Black America

As we celebrate 50 years of the Newark Black Film Festival, we reflect on a legacy of bold vision and voices in Black film. This program celebrates the community as filmmaker. These films were not made to sell tickets in movie theaters — they were collectively created by community entities to confront local power, preserve local histories and effect local change.  

Join us for this dynamic curation of radical short documentaries, made across geographies, over the past 50 years, about, by and in service to Black communities across the United States.   

Panther AKA Off The Pig (1967)

by San Francisco Newsreel (15 mins)
A compelling document of the Black Panther Party leadership in 1967.  One of Newsreel’s most widely distributed films, it was originally released as “Off the Pig.” This short film features drawings from activist artist Emory Douglas.

The Taking of One Liberty Place (1987)

by Louis Massiah, Carlton Jones, Scribe Video Center (8 mins)
A moving, “you-are-there” document of the October 1, 1987 sit-in and occupation of Philadelphia’s newest and largest office building, One Liberty Place. The demonstrators, many of whom were homeless and/or members of the National Homeless Union, chose this building as a symbol of both misplaced corporate and government priorities.

Black Women, Sexual Politics and Revolution (1992)

by Not Channel Zero Collective (29 mins)
Black women speak candidly on issues of sex, class and gender roles. The video examines how African American women deal with issues of poverty, abortion, battering and lack of health care, and addresses how women’s roles in community struggle and activism are often overlooked or ignored. The video also looks at media portrayals with an emphasis on the representation of Black women in music videos.

Mothers of Terrell Homes (2019)

by Rita Fortenberry, Dorothy Brazell, Rosemary Horsley, Rhonda Napier, Valerie Hall, Betty Brazell, Isaac Green Diebboll,  (21 mins)
A multi-generational matriarchy fights to protect their home, a 275 unit public housing complex in the Ironbound Neighborhood of Newark, NJ that has been slated for demolition.

Following this screening will be a panel discussion featuring MacArthur prize-winning documentary filmmaker and founding executive director of Philadelphia’s Scribe Video Center, Louis Massiah.  The panel will be moderated by Yvonne Michelle Shirley, director of Express Newark’s Community Media Center.

5:00 pm: Newark Black Film Festival: Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted

Join us for a screening of Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted.

Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted

Directed by Isaac Gale, Ryan Olson, and David McMurry (95 min). Not rated
Cult musician Swamp Dogg and housemates Moogstar and Guitar Shorty have turned their suburban LA home into an artistic haven. They journey through the turbulent music business, forming a special friendship transcending eras.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Swamp Dogg, Moogstar, and Dr. Jeri Williams.

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Listening is Fundamental: Black Film Edition, with Egypt

A special edition of the exciting sample recognition bingo game, curated by Newark native, Egypt, uniquely blending music and film. Side A showcases songs from artists who’ve made acting debuts, while Side B features songs that cleverly integrate snippets from beloved movies.

8:00 pm: Newark Black Film Festival: Rob Peace

Join us for a special screening of Rob Peace directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Rob Peace

Directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor (119 min). Not rated
The story of an inner-city Newark kid who attends Yale yet ultimately succumbs to harsh economic realities and the demons of his past.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with special guests.

Tickets: $15 General Admission, $12 Students & NMOA Members, Free for all Festival Pass holders

July 14, 2024

10:00 am: Newark Black Film Festival: Family Tree

Join us for a screening of Family Tree, directed by Jennifer MacArthur, and the short film It Takes a Village, directed by Joshua Kissi. Stay for a Q&A following the screenings.

Family Tree

Directed by Jennifer MacArthur (96 min). Not rated
Black land ownership and sustainable forestry are one and the same, and two North Carolina families take on the challenge of building intergenerational wealth while raising healthy forests.

It Takes a Village

Directed by Joshua Kissi (14 min). Not rated
The year is 1965, and the residents of Winneba, Georgia inhabit a community that seems untouched by the rest of the world. A father prepares his son for his ascension to manhood through the hunting of a deer; a rite of passage in this family.

The screenings will be followed by a Q&A.

1:00 pm: Newark Black Film: Shorts Block

Join us for curated selection of short films: To the Girl that Looks Like Me directed by Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah, Harlem Fragments directed by Cameron Tyler Carr, City of Dreamz directed by Imani Celeste, Love Taps directed by Derrick Woodyard and Underwater Projects directed by dream hampton. Followed by a Q&A session.

To the Girl that Looks Like Me

Directed by Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah (6 min). Not rated
An experimental poetry piece that celebrates black women, who continue to thrive in a system that was not built for them. This visual poem explores themes of cultural appropriation, self-love, and self-discovery through a string of vignettes that combine dance, folklore, modern culture, and spirituality.

Harlem Fragments

Directed by Cameron Tyler Carr (17 min). Not rated
An Afro-futurist scrapbook storytelling of a Harlem Black family’s beautiful destruction during the 2008 recession, a natural disaster so mesmerizing you can’t look away. Based on true events.

City of Dreamz

Directed by Imani Celeste (12 min). Not rated
Follow four Black art students telling stories of community, divine intervention, and the artistry that led them to this very moment…smoking weed in a cramped NYC apartment trying not to get caught.

Love Taps

Directed by Derrick Woodyard (14 min). Not rated
A young boy tries to cope with his parent’s separation gains a new perspective of his father after discovering his affair with another man.

Underwater Projects

Directed by dream hampton (28 min). Not rated
Norfolk, Virginia is sinking due to insufficient sea defenses and past urban development choices. The predominantly Black St. Paul’s housing community grapples with government redevelopment plans that prompt inquiries into their true intentions: climate resilience or gentrification.

The screenings will be followed by a Q&A.

4:00 pm: Newark Black Film Festival: Seeking Mavis Beacon

Join us for our final screening at the 50th Newark Black Festival, of Seeking Mavis Beacon directed by Jazmin Renée Jones.

Seeking Mavis Beacon

Directed by Jazmin Renée Jones (102 min). Not rated
The most recognizable woman in technology lives in our collective imagination. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing taught millions globally, but the software’s Haitian-born cover model vanished decades ago. Two DIY detectives search for the model while posing questions about identity and artificial intelligence.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A.

Tickets: $10 General Admission, $7 Students & NMOA Members, Free for all Festival Pass holders

6:00 pm – 10:00 pm: NBFF Black & Gold Gala

Join us for the first Black & Gold Gala and support the future of Black film!

This seated dinner celebrates excellence in Black cinema and includes the Paul Robeson Awards for this year’s festival winners.

Rub shoulders with industry professionals and fellow film enthusiasts as we celebrate the incredible talent and creativity within the film & TV industry. Enjoy live entertainment, delicious food, and more, all in one unforgettable night.

This event helps to support the Newark Black Film Festival’s ongoing efforts to enhance the awareness, accessibility, and understanding of the art of Black cinema.

Tickets: $120 General Admission, $100 NMOA Members, Free with VIP Festival Pass

Fest Date: July 10 - 14, 2024

Location: The Newark Museum of Art - 49 Washington Street Newark, NJ 07102

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